Anyone who’s ever lost a furry friend knows that a dog is never “just a dog.” Your dog is an important part of your family, and when that dog passes on, the grief can be just as potent as if you’d lost a human family member. Your dog’s memory deserves to be honored and cherished and you deserve to feel comforted during your time of mourning.
While music alone may not fully heal a broken heart, it can certainly help you process the complex and painful emotions that come with losing a pet: love and loss, happy memories and bitter sadness. If you’re at the point where you feel ready to process your feelings through music (we understand if you’re not there yet), listening to songs about losing a dog from artists who’ve undergone the same thing may bring you some comfort.
That’s why we gathered up 16 songs that specifically deal with the experience of losing a very special loved one. We hope they can give you the comfort you seek if you listen to them.
16 Songs About Losing a Dog
A woman and dog sitting together.
“Old King” — Neil Young
Neil Young wrote “Old King” about his furry friend Elvis, a purebred hound dog that used to tour with him (he changed the dog’s name to “King” in the song to avoid any confusion with the real Mr. Presley). Young sings about grieving the sudden, shocking loss of Elvis after he “up and died” one day, reflecting on the bittersweet memories the two of them shared together. King was “the best old hound dog” he ever did know, and he made sure to let the world know too with this heartfelt tribute.
“Everything Reminds Me of My Dog” — Jane Siberry
When you’re grieving the loss of a loved one, you find reminders of them everywhere, even in the unlikeliest of places. “Everything Reminds Me of My Dog,” Jane Siberry’s sweet ode to her furry best friend, touches on that exact experience. Everywhere that Siberry goes, something reminds her of her dog: taxicabs, skyscrapers, sunsets, bad things, beautiful things—even the cockroaches and insects that her dog would go after. Many a grieving pet parent can relate to this uniquely painful feeling.
“Stars” — Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
Grace Potter’s soaring vocals and simple but heartfelt lyrics make “Stars” one of the best modern ballads about the loss of a friend, be they human or canine. Potter sings about the love that’s left behind in the aftermath of losing a loved one, and trying to cope with the loss while still reliving the happy memories they shared together. It’s real, it’s raw and it’s poignant.
“It’s Just a Dog” — Mo Pitney
Though many songs about dogs dying have been penned over the years, few hit home quite as hard as Mo Pitney’s deeply personal ballad to his pet. In “It’s Just a Dog,” Pitney memorializes their entire life together, from the rainy day that he picked her up from the side of the road ten years earlier up to the moment it finally sinks in that she’s passed on as he’s driving to the lake where they used to fish together. Pitney tries to confront his grief by telling himself, “She was just a dog, right?” But he knows that she was so much more.
“I Will Always Be With You” — Sheena Easton and Jessie Corti
Written and performed for the movie All Dogs Go To Heaven 2, “I Will Always Be With You” reminds us that even if our pets aren’t here with us in the physical world anymore, they’re always by our side in the memories we’ve made and the love we’ve shared together. No matter where you go in the world, you will always carry them in your heart.
“I Will Remember You” — Sarah McLachlan
Anyone who grew up with those ASPCA commercials in the 1990s and early 2000s already knows Canadian chanteuse Sarah McLachlan for her tearjerking song “Angel” (usually accompanied by sad pictures of rescue puppies and kittens). In her other big hit, “I Will Remember You,” McLachlan reflects on her treasured past memories with a lost loved one in a beautiful ode to grief and acceptance.
“Goodbye My Friend” — Linda Ronstadt
In “Goodbye My Friend,” Linda Ronstadt mourns the unpredictable fragility of life and the sudden, painful loss of a friend. Though Ronstadt knows that she will never see her friend again, she also sings that the pure, unconditional love her friend gave through the years will take away her tears. Life is fragile, and death comes for us all, but love endures.
“Fire and Rain” — James Taylor
James Taylor originally wrote “Fire and Rain” in the memory of a personal friend who took her own life, but the song’s message resonates with anyone who’s lost a loved one. Over the course of three stanzas, Taylor details the experience of finding out about the death of a loved one, trying to cope with the acute pain of grief, and finally coming out the other side of it with some measure of peace and acceptance. Taylor’s beautifully cathartic song doesn’t hold back in acknowledging how torturous mourning can be, but shows that there is still a way through the pain.
“Beyond The Rainbow Bridge” — Trina Belamide
After the death of a dog, many pet parents find comfort in imagining their dog waiting for them at “The Rainbow Bridge,” knowing that they’ll get to walk into Heaven together when the time comes. Filipina songstress Trina Belamide sees her departed dog off to this magical place in “Beyond The Rainbow Bridge,” knowing that their time together on earth is coming to an end, but their happy future in the Great Beyond is only just beginning.
“Cracker Jack” — Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton penned “Cracker Jack” in the memory of her little spotted dog of the same name. Though Cracker Jack has long since passed in Parton’s song, she still looks back on the many beautiful memories they had together, from her rescuing Cracker Jack and fattening up the once-skinny stray into a healthy pup to the many days they spent playing in the fields and walking to school together.
“See You Again” — Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth
Though “See You Again” was written as a tribute to the late Fast and the Furious star Paul Walker, its central message is no less poignant to those mourning the loss of a four-legged friend, especially in its chorus hook. Life can feel long and dreary without your best buddy there by your side, but memories never die, and goodbyes don’t have to be forever. As Charlie Puth sings, “I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again.”
“Maggie’s Song” — Chris Stapleton
Like “Cracker Jack” and “Old King,” “Maggie’s Song” is a heartfelt country tribute to a star’s special dog. Maggie was a “fuzzy black pup” that Chris Stapleton and his wife Morgane found abandoned in a shopping cart. The couple rescued Maggie that day, and for the rest of her life, Maggie was embraced and loved by the whole Stapleton family. Though Stapleton sings that Maggie couldn’t use her legs on the day that she died, he will always remember her running wild and free with her human siblings out on their family farm.
“I’ll Remember You” — Bob Dylan
In “I’ll Remember You,” Bob Dylan mourns a steadfast best friend who was always there for him and understood him better than anyone. Dylan promises that no matter what, even after all else is forgotten, he will still cherish and remember his special friend to the very end.
“What Once Was” — Hers
The band Hers claimed that their melancholy song “What Once Was” references “the passing of a family member,” and their lyrics will resonate with anyone who’s currently passing through the many stages of grief. “What Once Was” is about tangling with the inevitable loss of a loved one, struggling to let go, and being haunted by the memories of happier times together. Though it doesn’t necessarily come to the same hopeful conclusion as some of the other songs on this list, it’s a great song for when you just need to “cry it out” and get some of those heavy emotions out in the open.
“Shannon” — Henry Gross
Though “Shannon” was the name of an Irish Setter owned by Henry Gross’s late wife, Gross learned during a meeting with the Beach Boys’ Carl Wilson that Wilson had also owned an Irish Setter named Shannon, who had recently been killed in a car accident. Gross penned the song in honor of his friend’s late dog, a sweet tribute to a kindred canine spirit.
“This Old Dog” — Mac DeMarco
Though “This Old Dog” refers to the song’s (presumably human) narrator, Mac DeMarco’s gentle ode to undying love is one any pet parent can relate to. No matter how many years go by, no matter how much the times may change, DeMarco refuses to forget the memories he made with his loved one as long as his heart’s still beating in his chest.
This story was originally reported by PetHelpful on Oct 7, 2025, where it first appeared in the Dogs section. Add PetHelpful as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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